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French National Football Team Falls 0-2 to Spain With Help from Video Technology

A friendly international match in the wake of qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia saw Les Bleus, the National Football Team of France, lose to their Spanish counterparts.

The match, which was played at the Stade de France in Paris, was unique in the sense that it was partially decided by the Video Assistant Referee, a new technology being tested by FIFA for the purpose of reviewing close calls.

Spanish star David Silva scored the first goal during the second half after he converted a penalty kick. Gerard Deulofeu, who came in fresh from the bench as a second half substitute, scored the second goal against Les Bleus. It was this goal that would be contested by means of the new Video Assistant Referee technology, which football fans, analysts and officials have been clamoring for ever since the ultra-controversial goal scored by Peru against Brazil during the Copa America Centenario a couple of years ago. That goal, which was scored by means of a handball, stopped the match for five minutes as referees debated on what they should have done. The main ref even took a call on his headset, ostensibly from a FIFA official, but the damage was already done and the goal could not be annulled.

In the France-Spain match, Deulofeu's goal was disallowed by the referee because the player seemed to have been offside. After a review by the Video Assistant Referee, the goal was deemed to have been fair and sealed the 2-0 victory for Spain.

Earlier in the match, star French striker Antoine Griezmann had his own encounter with the new video system as his goal was called off because Layvin Kurzawa had been offside.

All in all, the match in Paris was star-studded with the presence of Griezmann, Hugo Lloris and Kylian Mbappe, a young sensation who lit up the pitch in his first-ever cap with the French National Team, a squad that is already shaping up to be a favorite for the World Cup next year.

In terms of World Cup qualifiers, the French National Team is fresh off a solid victory against Israel. Despite the loss against Spain, managing coach Didier Deschamps welcomed the use of the new video system, which he believes is a smart addition to the beautiful game, particularly during international matches that make emotions run extremely high.